Superlatives for South Carolina football 2022 recruiting class

Most Underrated Player in the South Carolina Football Class

This honor goes to wide receiver Zavier Short. Short hails from Chapin, just about 20 minutes up the road from the South Carolina campus. The pass catcher had been committed to play his college ball at Appalachian State but pulled the trigger after landing an offer from the Gamecocks.

Short flew under the radar for most of his recruitment with 24/7 Sports rating him as a three-star prospect and the nation’s 187th-best wideout. Rivals lists him as a two-star talent. The Gamecocks were a little late to the game in making his offer, and high school coaches were letting Shane Beamer know about the mistake he was making.

"“Zavier, I feel like every Friday night, we’d be in the team hotel and around 11 p.m., I’d get a text message from the head coach of the team that just played Chapin telling me what an idiot I am that we hadn’t offered Zavier Short. Honestly, like, literally, every single Friday.”"

Beamer had known about Short’s abilities but wasn’t quite sure how they’d use him in the offensive system. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he kind of qualifies as a ‘tweener’ in reference to his position as either a tight end or wide receiver. At the end of the day, the coaching staff decided to overlook that indecision and add him to the class.

"“You know what, forget about it, this guy can help us win. We’ll get him here and figure it out. He’s a winner, he’s a competitor, he’s a really good football player.”"

Short ultimately picked the Gamecocks over offers from bowl-bound programs App State, Army, Coastal Carolina, Liberty, and Wake Forest. He also garnered some interest from Ivy League schools Penn and Yale.

Short has a chance to land playing time in a wide receiver room that’s lacking both depth and production. Expect him to outplay his high school ratings and make an impact on the South Carolina football team.